soffit
UK /ˈsɒf.ɪt/ · US /ˈsɑ.fɪt/ noun
Forms soffits
- noun (architecture) The visible underside of an arch, balcony, beam, cornice, staircase, vault or any other architectural element.
- noun (pipe technology) The top point of the inside open section of a pipe or box conduit. “The elevation of the pipe soffit is 10.4 meters above mean sea level.”
Etymology
From French soffite, from Italian soffitto, from Vulgar Latin *suffīctus, perfect passive participle of Latin suffīgō (“to fasten or fix onto”).
Webster’s 1913
- noun The under side of the subordinate parts and members of buildings, such as staircases, entablatures, archways, cornices, or the like. See Illust. of Lintel.
Etymology [It. soffitta, soffitto, fr. soffiggere to hide, properly, to fix or fasten under, L. suffigere to fasten beneath or below; sub under, beneath + figere to fix, faste: cf. F. soffite.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “soffit”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details